Fantastic Children - Bought it after reading a lot of good things about it and boy, it did not disappoint! At first I had no idea what the hell was even going on, but by the end of the first episode I was hooked and couldn't switch it off. It starts out as a weird sci-fi series combined with detective elements, but it evolves into a really touching love story (the last couple of episodes had me blubbering like a baby).

Fantastic Children - Bought it after reading a lot of good things about it and boy, it did not disappoint!

I've had this sitting on my shelf for ages as part of my DVD backlog. I really need to watch it soon.

Ugh. SO much anime, so little time...

I recently got a Roku box, and so I've been exploring some of the options available on Crunchyroll.

Sword Art Online
I'm enjoying this series well enough so far, despite some eye-roll inducing moments. I don't usually follow series as they are released since I don't like watching anime on my computer, but now that I have a dedicated box for streaming hooked up to my TV it's really convenient. The animation and music are nice. The story is nothing special (yet, anyway) but the characters are likeable and interesting enough to keep me coming back for more. I seem to like this people trapped in a computer world storyline. I have enjoyed most of the .hack franchise and I liked Lain a lot too.

My Little Monster
I've only seen the first episode so far and I find the male main character (geez, I've already forgotten his name) to be annoying. Nevertheless, I think the series has potential so I'm going to keep watching.

Chihayafuru
I got talked into watching this even though it's not really the kind of thing I'd usually seek out. There's been a lot of love for it in this thread recently, but after 10 episodes I'm not on the bandwagon yet. I'll keep watching just to see where it goes, but I'm hoping that it gets a LOT better soon and then I can join the raving fan club here.

Monster
In addition to Crunchyroll on the Roku, there's also a Manga Entertainment channel, so I've been watching Monster. I'm only on episode 8, so the show has just finished setting up its premise and introducing us to all the main players. I'm enjoying it quite a bit but it's not something where I've been getting the urge to watch a bunch of episodes all in one sitting.

Ghost Slayers Ayashi
Another Roku box find, this is one of many anime series available on Crackle. I picked it more or less at random since I don't remember hearing anything about it. I'm through 7 episodes. It's not making much of an impression on me, but I don't dislike it enough to quit watching yet. I'll give it at least a few more episodes, but it seems like it's heading into a routine monster of the week formula and the characters aren't really interesting enough to keep it going through too many episodes like that. I hope there's a bigger story that is going to start showing up a bit more.

Chihayafuru
I got talked into watching this even though it's not really the kind of thing I'd usually seek out. There's been a lot of love for it in this thread recently, but after 10 episodes I'm not on the bandwagon yet. I'll keep watching just to see where it goes, but I'm hoping that it gets a LOT better soon and then I can join the raving fan club here.

Unlike Princess Tutu, it doesn't really take long for Chihayafuru to get to the "good part." I'm guessing it's just not going to float your boat like it did some of us--it was the first couple of episodes that completely pulled me in. The rest was just icing on the cake.

I've seen two episodes of K now and still have absolutely no idea what it's about. It's getting really hard to care about it...

Also watched the first episode of Robotics;Notes last night. For some reason some of the promo art really appealed to me, so I had to check it out. Right now, it just feels youthful. I feel like one of the old professors at the art school in Honey and Clover yelling "Ah, youth!" when I'm watching it. It energetic and while not necessary unique, it make me think of a fresh-faced young person before their ideals have been quashed by the reality of the world.

Chihayafuru
I got talked into watching this even though it's not really the kind of thing I'd usually seek out. There's been a lot of love for it in this thread recently, but after 10 episodes I'm not on the bandwagon yet. I'll keep watching just to see where it goes, but I'm hoping that it gets a LOT better soon and then I can join the raving fan club here.

If you aren't liking it by now, I can't see why more would make you like it really. I am glad you'll keep watching I guess, but I am sad you aren't enjoying it more.
I am two episodes away from finishing all of what is available now and will be looking forward to more.
I love the show, but I love more shoujo shows than you do to begin with.

I'll keep watching it. I'm not bored with it by any means, but maybe it's all a bit too easy and tidy to me. Not that a straight forward, mostly happy story is a bad thing at all. Maybe I've become too cynical to appreciate a show like Chihayafuru. I watched another episode tonight. It's a good show for me to watch while I'm riding my stationary bike.

The story arc I'm on now exemplifies something that's just not clicking for me with this show. spoiler[The gang decides they are just going to go out and qualify for the national tournament, even though they have two rank beginners on their roster. To get there, they have to beat a bunch of other teams full of experienced players who have been playing the game for years. Of course, they make it.]

Things like that just don't happen. Or maybe it's just that they never happen to me. I've had to work very hard for everything in life, and not much ever came easily or quickly. I guess it can be nice to see things working out that way for the cast of Chihayafuru, but I'm having trouble with my suspension of disbelief in this case. It's still a cute show, though, so I don't think I'll drop it.

In other news, I watched episode 14 of Sword Art Online and wow I actually did not see that coming. This show just took a turn that I really like and my overall interest in it went way up. I'm looking forward to the next episode. I guess I'll have to keep avoiding the SAO thread here since I don't have a Crunchyroll subscription and I'm an episode behind everyone else. I don't want to be spoiled on anything that's coming up.

The story arc I'm on now exemplifies something that's just not clicking for me with this show. spoiler[The gang decides they are just going to go out and qualify for the national tournament, even though they have two rank beginners on their roster. To get there, they have to beat a bunch of other teams full of experienced players who have been playing the game for years. Of course, they make it.]

Things like that just don't happen. Or maybe it's just that they never happen to me. I've had to work very hard for everything in life, and not much ever came easily or quickly. I guess it can be nice to see things working out that way for the cast of Chihayafuru, but I'm having trouble with my suspension of disbelief in this case. It's still a cute show, though, so I don't think I'll drop it.

If you notice though, spoiler[the two beginners don't win their matches. In a team of five people, only three of them needed to win. And the three people with the most experience were the ones on their team that won.] I don't find the suspension of disbelief too much to contend with, but I can understand where you're coming from. Also, the show doesn't necessarily show all of the weeks of training that the people undergo during the down times. It just shows the major moments. You can assume with Chihaya's training regimen that while the beginners aren't good enough to defeat players who've been playing longer, they can at least hold their own and not be completely thrashed.

Also, karuta has different elements that factor in to how the game plays out. The order that the cards are called in, which comes down to luck, can affect the outcome of the game. If a whole string of three-plus syllable cards are called, then the player who's faster or has better strategy at capturing those cards has a greater advantage. Mental focus also can help determine the outcome, as the show likes to demonstrate.

Anyways, we all have shows that just click with us or ones that don't. I appreciate that you're finding some joy with it even if it's not one you're enamored with.

I'm currently going through my own trials as well. I have many many shows that are on hold or unfinished that I'm trying to complete. Some of 'em are kinda dragging me down though.

Like Dusk Maiden of Amnesia. I thought it'd be nice to watch an appropriate Halloween-y anime. I probably should have just rewatched my favorite haunted house arc from Ghost Hunt instead. Or Soul Eater. In fact, I may just do that once I finish this series. I just finished episode 5.

I'm determined to not add this series to the ever-growing unfinished list though, so I'm trying to trudge my way through.

And then there's Natsuyuki Rendezvous. Sigh. My desire to finish this series dropped like a rock the longer it went on and I kept hearing more things about it. But maybe if I intersperse an episode here and there with other stuff I like then I'll be able to make it through.

---

Just finished episode 6 of Dusk Maiden. I have now upgraded to:

I don't know what's worse. The blatant fanservice full episodes like 5 or the contrived situations in 6 to force an attempt to be scary. So all of those kids completely lost their heads to the point of willingly sacrificing another student? Uh huh. Is this an attempt at foreshadowing or something?

So all of those kids completely lost their heads to the point of willingly sacrificing another student? Uh huh. Is this an attempt at foreshadowing or something?

It's not so much foreshadowing as it is...uh...backshadowing? Let's just say history repeats itself, and you'll learn the history starting at the end of episode nine and all of ten. We in the anime talkback as we watched it chalked it up to spiritual resonance since the school is built on a shrine.

Reasons for watching: 1) after enjoying Kimi ni Todoke so much, I wanted to watch a romantic anime based on shounen source material; 2) volume one of Toradora! (episodes 1-13) is the first release (along with Dream Eater Merry) from the new Australian anime distributor Hanabee Entertainment. I dropped into the local JB Hi Fi the day after the official release and picked up a copy (and, yeah, I downloaded fansubs of the rest).

Synopsis: Ryuji Takasu may look like a yakuza thug but he’s actually a thoroughly domesticated, nice guy living with his single mother who makes ends meet by working a variety of low status, casual jobs. Taiga Aisaka is a pint-sized ball of rage, estranged from her wealthy divorced parents, living alone and relying on convenience store food for sustenance. A misplaced love letter reveals them to be neighbours and that they each have a crush on the other’s best friend. When Ryuji’s mother welcomes Taiga into their house, Taiga finds herself relying more and more on Ryuji’s generosity. They agree to help each other with their crushes but it quickly becomes apparent to their friends and to the viewer that Taiga (= tiger = tora) and Ryuji (= dragon = dora) are a perfect match for each other. Problem is, they lack the self-awareness to see what everyone else can.

Ryuji's actually a sweetie-pie.

What makes this series so thoroughly satisfying is that it takes a slew of standard anime tropes – both in character types and plot situations - and, against the odds, does something special with them. On the character side we have, among others, a mild-mannered hero and tsundere heroine, a genki girl, an aloof transfer student, and a Nazi school president. On the plot side there is a swimming pool arc, a beach villa arc, a high school festival, a student council election, a Christmas Eve party and a school camp. You could be forgiven if you thought Toradora! revels in anime cliché but, in each arc there is, unfailingly, a moment where it elevates what might be banal into the exceptional and, sometimes, the sublime.

The central female character – Taiga – illustrates how Toradora! works so well. Before I was even familiar with the series I was aware that Taiga was a tsundere pin-up girl and that Rie Kugimiya was the go to seiyuu for the character type. I like tsundere characters. Some of my favourite anime characters could be classified as tsundere – Rin Tohsaka from Fate / Stay Night and Holo from Spice and Wolf to name two. In the second episode there are two defining moments for Taiga. In the first, Ryuji sums her up thusly,

Quote:

The Palm-top Tiger snaps at everything but, even so, no one could deny she worked so hard it made her look silly, leaving you inclined to silently root for her.

So far, we have her tsundere nature placed firmly within the moe trope. Shortly afterwards she vents her rage upon a lamp post and, in one of Toradora!’s signature transformations, we see that her fury is a product of her history and her circumstances in a way rarely evidenced in anime.

It’s noteworthy that she includes her best friend (Minorin) and her crush object (Kitamura) among her frustrations. Over the course of the series we learn how this fury was born. Her parents are divorced, remarried and have children with their new partners. They are pre-occupied with their own emotional needs and neglect hers. Taiga doesn’t get along with her stepparents and she envies her half-siblings. Her rage leads to violent behaviour, gaining her the reputation and nickname she finds so odious, creating a feedback loop she cannot escape from. Add to that her sheer effrontery, her determination to succeed, her social and physical ineptitude and hidden veins of optimism and generosity, and she comes across as just about the most complete pure tsundere character I’ve yet encountered in anime. I found her a thoroughly sympathetic character – moeru for the thinking viewer.

The first and last scenes with Taiga: from tsun tsun to dere dere. I love the red uniform.

Incidentally, Rie Kugimiya in tsun tsun mode sounds like a Megumi Hayashibara clone, while in dere dere mode she comes across far too childishly. Mind you, matching Megumi Hayashibara is something to be proud of. On balance, her voice acting is highly effective.

Taiga is nicely matched by Ryuji. He isn’t your standard bland, set upon harem protagonist but has a memorable personality, his own agenda and his own neuroses. With a ditzy mother forced to work unsociable hours to pay the bills he does the cooking and all the household chores, both of which he enjoys immensely - Taiga quickly learns where to go for a satisfying meal. His impoverished life and his gangster appearance have left him with his own issues, which he bears far more stoically than Taiga hers. What his tribulations do is give him an insight into Taiga, enabling him to accept her in a way no one else can, something she latches onto instinctively. Add to that his bottomless well of generosity and his capacity to absorb any amount of abuse from Taiga and the two quickly develop a co-dependent relationship.

Toradora! has not one, not two, but three stand-out characters – the third being Ryuji’s crush object, the obtuse-reasoning genki girl, Minori Kushieda (or Minorin as her best friend Taiga calls her). Her energy and superhuman toils are façades, covering her inner conflict between her loyalty to Taiga and her regard for Ryuji, her disappointment at her lack of opportunities as a talented sportswoman, and her bemusement at her possible bisexuality. As she herself points out, she confronts obstacles through sheer willpower, determined to find happiness on her own terms. She has a knack for making seemingly impenetrable analogies that actually make sense on further reflection. She also has some of the best lines in the series, including the unforgettable,

Quote:

If you trip while running down the hallway, you’ll get a nosebleed. If you trip in life, you’ll cry.

Minorin: Crying is a nosebleed of the heart.

Ryuji’s best friend (and Taiga’s crush object) Kitamura is cheerfully and forgettably bland. Transfer student and teenage model Ami Kawashima is initially repellent, as no doubt she is intended to be. Her issues are straightforward enough but in the second half of the series she displays an unexpected depth to her character that goes a long way in repairing the earlier impression. That she and Minori are left as the big emotional losers of the story is but one of the reasons it seems fans love to ship them. And, (with apologies to Key) Ryuji's apoplectic parrot is mostly a nuisance, but his mother Yasuko makes up for that with her determination to provide the best opportunities for Ryuji, despite her seeming airheaded shortcomings. She even manages to provide the occasional invaluable insight to Ryuji and Taiga. I liked her but someone should have shot the parakeet. I’m with Taiga on that one.

Earlier I mentioned the standard shounen scenarios. Another of the pleasing things about the series is that the initial banality of the tropes is invariably transformed through some action or development. It may be a simple comment from one of the characters or a moving revelation or an unexpected plot development. To whit: the swimming pool arc and Taiga’s screamingly funny comment to Ami on the starting blocks and her emotional public declaration over Ryuji’s body; or the seaside arc with Minori’s bizarrely apt speech about ghosts and UFOs; or the high school festival with its equally bizarre pro-wrestling drama and with Taiga’s subsequent total humiliation; or the school council election with the extraordinary confrontation between Taiga and the president Sumire Kanou; or the Christmas Eve party with its many surprises, especially the Santa Bear and Taiga’s belated admission of her true feelings. The series surprises because, time and again, I would suddenly realise that the writers had cleverly led me up to these moments, even when things had seemed at their most banal. Having said that, large swathes of the arcs are indeed standard shounen high school fare. I’ll be clear: the arcs aren’t superlative from start to finish – they just have great moments that take them to another level. Yes, there are stretches of banality. Some of the early episodes could even be judged mediocre, not helped by visuals that are barely better than functional. It even takes until midway through the second episode (the lamp post scene) before the series begins to hit its stride.

Sumire Kanou after her confrontation with Taiga. Her adversary copped it just as badly.

That said, the last two episodes wrap up the romance in a completely satisfying way, even if it may be somewhat disappointing in a dramatic sense. Ryuji’s and Taiga’s inability to recognise or admit their love for the other derives from their lack of self-awareness, their immaturity and, behind it all, their resentments towards their families. When their own mothers decide to run away from them, they realise their plans to elope are simply perpetuating the same old problems. That both Ryuji and Taiga, each in their own way, resolve to proceed with their relationship by building a bridge to their families and to their past demonstrates that their love is a possible source of growth, rather than escape. It’s entirely convincing and, as I said, a very satisfying way to end.

Toradora! has a number of parallels with Kimi ni Todoke, from the scary appearance of the main character, to the inability of the central couple to acknowledge their love (where Ryuji and Taiga refuse to acknowledge that they love the other, Sawako and Shouta refuse to accept that the other loves them in return), to the loyal support of their friends. Of the friends, only Minorin is capable of matching Ayane and Chizuru, while, of the two main pairs, Shouta cannot hope to match the incomparable Taiga. What’s more, Kimi ni Todoke has too many episodes that drag out the development of the romance. As much as I enjoyed it, I doubt I’ll ever sit through the entire 38 episodes again. By contrast, I’ve already watched Toradora! three times.

It’s also interesting to compare Toradora! with director Tatsuyuki Nagai’s subsequent anoHana: the Flower We Saw that Day. For a start I’m convinced Nagai has a thigh fetish. That aside, I prefer the older series because the central characters of Ryuji and Taiga are so much more convincing and entertaining, and also because Toradora!’s ending is satisfying while anoHana’s ending strains credibility. Perhaps it’s simply because I’m a bloke: one series is aimed at a male audience and the other a female audience.

Rating: very good

Bonus: Courtesy of Hanabee's facebook page, here's a great link to a Google map updated by one Seichi Junrei that compares scenes from Toradora! with their real life inspirations.

Hotarubi no Mori e (Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light)

This 40 minute film from one of anime’s great directors, Takahiro Omori (Koi Kaze, Natsume’s Book of Friends, Baccano!, Durarara!!, Princess Jellyfish), is clearly from his Natsume’s Book of Friends millieu. A young girl lost in a forest is saved by a spirit. Each summer she returns to spend time with him. Their love grows but is tempered by the knowledge that should they touch he will vanish forever.

It’s well written, nicely paced (until the end), very pretty to look at, and the main female character – Hotaru – is sweetly observed. These qualities are spoiled by the emotive ending, not because it is emotive but because it is both predictable and rushed. Somehow it lacks the gravitas it should have. Despite the complaints I would still rate it as good. (I've really gotta see Princess Jellyfish.)

Rurouni Kenshin: Shin Kyoto-Hen episode 1 (of 2)

This retelling of the Kyoto arc of the manga and TV series through the eyes of one of its most memorable characters, Misao Makimachi, is a terrible disappointment. Attempting to compress 35 episodes into 90 minutes was a foolhardy exercise from the get go. If I hadn’t seen the series this first episode would be nigh on incomprehensible. Everything that is great about the arc has gone west: Kenshin’s dignity; the tragic motivations of the various villains; the spunk and clownish behaviour of Misao Makimachi; and even the unforgettable, and highly ironic, reunion of Kenshin and Kaoru in Kyoto. It’s very pretty to look at but that is poor compensation for the mess that has been created. Really, concentrating on a short section of the arc would have made much more sense, in more ways than one. I guess a lot of the disappointment for me comes from Misao Makimachi - my single favourite element of the original arc – being comprehensively sacrificed on the altar of brevity.

Misao's spunk is barely discernable. She mostly sleepwalks her way through the OAV.

Last edited by errinundra on Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:01 am; edited 1 time in total

Okay, Dusk Maiden got infinitely better with episode 7. It's starting to address things that I noticed throughout the series (such as Yuuko's lack of range of emotions).

The King of Harts wrote:

Quote:

So all of those kids completely lost their heads to the point of willingly sacrificing another student? Uh huh. Is this an attempt at foreshadowing or something?

It's not so much foreshadowing as it is...uh...backshadowing? Let's just say history repeats itself, and you'll learn the history starting at the end of episode nine and all of ten. We in the anime talkback as we watched it chalked it up to spiritual resonance since the school is built on a shrine.

Actually, it was later on last night that I thought it might be a connection to spoiler[Yuuko's past. And episode 7 just seems to confirm that. She was a sacrifice. I thought it was strange how she died. A broken leg, even a nasty one, shouldn't be enough to keep one from attempting to rescue oneself if it was just an accident. So it had to be murder. And the "sacrifice to save ourselves" was so heavy-handed in the last episode that it had to have some meaning.]

Anyways, I'm looking forward to the rest now.

------

ANNNNNND DONE! Thank goodness. I was ready to be done before the last episode. I probably only watched 1/2 of the series at full screen on Crunchyroll. The other half just stayed at the normal size. It made it easier to scroll up or down or switch over to another tab for a second if I was getting bored.

It wasn't all that bad. I liked episode 10. spoiler[I thought her reaction to being sacrificed was both believable and creepy. The only thing I was iffy about was how quickly the older men were so willing to believe some stupid superstition and sacrifice a young girl. I think the explanation that was given is that the disease degraded their minds and made them more susceptible to panic, which I'll accept. At least it is better than no explanation.]

I thought that the amnesia aspects were interesting. And I liked some of the artistic styles used to demonstrate isolation or other emotions Yuuko was feeling. Some of the earlier episodes were okay as well.

But I just didn't care about the main couple. I wasn't moved by the last few episodes. I just wanted it over once the mystery was solved. Gosick suffered similar issues for me, and I only ended up giving that show a 6/10. Therefore, I'm giving this show the same grade.

Besides keeping up with a lot of the new releases thanks to a roku player to stream stuff onto my TV with and a crunchroll guest pass, I also found one I had started a while ago and somehow didn't finish.

Natsume Yujin-cho is such a warm bright show that it leaves me feeling peaceful. What an odd way to describe a show about youkai I think, but in this show, it fits.

Natsume Takashi has been able to see youkai for as long as he can remember, which has led to a difficult life for him since others can not see what he does. His grandmother, Reiko, left him a book of youkai names which makes them bound to the bearer of the book as a servant, which makes the book an item of interest to many different beings who would like that power to control others from it. Having become a bit of an outcast to humans, yet not fitting in with the youkai either, this show captured his growing into maturity while figuring out how to navigate life with this special ability. Returning some of the names out of the book to free the youkai, trying not to get eaten or cursed by some, and with the help of his "bodyguard" in the form of an adorable (ugly, fat, occasionally drunk) lucky cat to help him, this show may not offer a lot of action and excitement, but it leaves you with a pleasant smile on your face.

Natsume himself is, or becomes, a very warm individual in this show, both to the youkai whom he tries to understand, and to the humans, who he learns how to love and overcome the taunts he'd endured as a child.

Maybe it's the seiyuu's nice warm even voice, maybe it's the colors of the show, somewhat "soft" feeling, maybe it's the music, which certainly gives a peaceful mellow atmosphere, or maybe it's the characters themselves who make this show so enjoyable. I couldn't hardly stop myself from listening to the end credit song nearly every time because it fit the show so well despite nothing happening during it, it would have been easy to skip over.

I am very much looking forward to the next seasons of this show. It certainly isn't the most memorable show ever. I would be hard pressed to think of this show even if others asked me for a recommendation maybe, and I am not sure how long I will remember this show after I have finished it...but right now, I am content and at peace and happy because of this show.

@Ortensia1980
Glad you enjoyed Fantastic Children! Hopefully this will help to convince everyone else to make this a Bandai title they get before it's too late.

As for me, well Digimon came in, which means it's time for a Pokemon break (which is ok, I beat the Elite 4. Yes, already). The last time I saw Digimon I was in high school, so at least 5 years ago. And all the time on TV as a kid, Fox used to play it for an hour every day at 4pm, and it was an awesome hour! Also I didn't have cable, so I'd basically watch Digimon then do homework and stuff.
But man, it's so different watching it now! I don't think it's quite as awesome, but it's really charming. Izzy and Tentomon were my favorites as a child. It was clear I could only become a geek for how much Izzy was my favorite, right? And I liked insects so, yeah, Tentomon wins there! Knowing now that Tentomon voices Wolfwood and Guilomon voiced Spike is kinda mindf---, and Jet Black voiced Ogremon! Anyway, I finished the first two discs, 14 eps. Izzy had this great line when they come across the trolley car, "No trolley is this clean!", sort of thing I probably would've missed as a kid. And later, Centarumon said "That felt.... interesting", that made me laugh too. Funnier in context I'll say, not an adult joke so much as a sly lampsahde that a child me would've missed. Seriously though, why didn't get go to computer camp? And what kind of late 90s summer camp has good wifi for everyone there and not just one tiny room in the staff area?
Adult me likes Joe a lot more, I recall finding him more annoying as a child, but JO pointed out in all the Digimon look back things how awesome Joe and Gomamon are together as they're so opposite. But now I realize something else: Gomamon's rookie ability is... summoning fish, right? Probably as a result of this useless power, he has more personality, but he's also capable of turning into badass Ikkakumon and Zudomon, right? So does this make him like Aquaman, but awesome? Speaking of, Ikkakumon and Zudomon's names got switched in the booklet, argh! Also, the booklet is just pictures of the Digimon and kids with very small amounts of bio. Shiny pics!
I so want more Digimon, so I can buy more of it! But on eps 7 and 8, I noticed a quality dip that went on and off. I mean, as a kid, Fox was the one channel with cartoons we got clear, which was another reason I preferred the Digimon cartoon to Pokemon (Pokemon always came in fuzzy), but it's a bit annoying for these strange sudden quality dips to appear in eps 7 and 8 like that. And on and off, some scenes would be clear, others fuzzier. Also, the chapter breaks are set up at the commercial breaks, so you can't skip the OP, you gotta fast forward through it.
Now after Daily Show and Colbert Report, ima watch more!

Watching Heroic Age in blu-ray. It's on my backlog...and it was a cheap blind buy. I can only say, I wish I had read some reviews before purchasing.

I find the plot to be ill-conceived and cliched. It tries hard to be like Dragonball, or other shows with likable idiot protagonists, but fails to do so. I could never find a character that I could connect with. I'm scared to think about some of the other titles I've bought blindly. Uggh...Gunslinger Girl, I'm looking at you.

I've also been watching Puella Magi Modoka Magica. It's interesting so far. I'm not too crazy about the surreal/weird artistic direction for the battles, but it's growing on me. I've only watched until episode three so far. Strangely enough, I bought the figures to this series before I actually watched it. Haha....I hope it gets better!
[/b]

Watching Heroic Age in blu-ray. It's on my backlog...and it was a cheap blind buy. I can only say, I wish I had read some reviews before purchasing.

I find the plot to be ill-conceived and cliched. It tries hard to be like Dragonball, or other shows with likable idiot protagonists, but fails to do so. I could never find a character that I could connect with. I'm scared to think about some of the other titles I've bought blindly. Uggh...Gunslinger Girl, I'm looking at you.

I've also been watching Puella Magi Modoka Magica. It's interesting so far. I'm not too crazy about the surreal/weird artistic direction for the battles, but it's growing on me. I've only watched until episode three so far. Strangely enough, I bought the figures to this series before I actually watched it. Haha....I hope it gets better!
[/b]

Age isn't an idiot. Far from it. But it is true that he can appear that way to some people... most of the crew of the Argonaut thought so at first, too, but later realized that they were wrong.

Travel back in time (and maybe have your gender swapped) to seven different periods of Japanese history, all from the comfort of your couch.― The history of Japanese civilization is expansive, predating the Common Era by 10,000 years (the Jomon period). There's much more ground to cover compared to what kids get in U.S. history classes in high school, which rarely cover anything before the Boston T...

Junji Ito's death-stench horror gets the deluxe treatment with a new hardcover omnibus, but the subject matter might not work for everyone.― Junji Ito is inarguably one of the masters of horror manga, utilizing both horror (physical revulsion) and terror (psychological reaction) to create gut-churning tales of the world gone mad. To a degree, he carries this out in his two-volume series Gyo from 200...

Voice actor/director/professional Dungeons & Dragons player Liam O'Brien returns to the podcast after a 5-year hiatus to discuss his roles in Fate/Zero and Sailor Moon, along with the landscape for anime voice acting now and what it's like to be Gollum.― ANNCast Episode 234: Podcastoes O'Brien Get the Flash Player to see this player. Voice actor/director/professional Dungeons & Dragons player Liam ...

If you went to an anime convention this summer or have used the internet lately, you may notice anime fans seem to have fallen in love with Steven Universe. Why? Because the show loves them right back.― If you've been to an anime convention in the past year, you've probably seen colorful, gem-studded cosplay like this filling the hallways. Photo credit links: top left, top right, bottom left, bottom...

If you've got questions for the director of the high-flying fantasy series The Pilot's Love Song, we've potentially got answers for you!― We've been given the opportunity to interview The Pilot's Love Song director Toshimasa Suzuki, and we need your help! NISA, who will be releasing the fantasy action drama The Pilot's Love Song on bluray September 22nd, asked for fan questions for Mr. Suzuki, whos...

Bee-Train's 2001 girls-with-guns classic returns on Blu-Ray, and holds up surprisingly well, despite some mediocre animation.― Not all older series deserve the Blu-Ray treatment. For some it is because the show just isn't as iconic as people might like to think, while for others it's because the quality was never BD worthy in the first place. Noir, fortunately, does hold up well enough that its tran...

Egypt Arc is JoJo in peak condition, as memorable and engaging an adventure as you could hope for. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is back.― When we last left our heroes, they'd just arrived on the shores of Egypt, escaping the literal jaws of defeat in order to finally save Jotaro's mother. The journey there had been a lengthy and sometimes inconsistent one, with their various adventures indeed being plen...

The creator of the hit manga, recently adapted into a popular anime series, talks about her inspirations, how she got her start, and what it's like to watch your manga become a TV show.― As you might guess from the story, the main character of the story is a high school roughneck named Ryu Yamada. Yamada meets cute, quiet, and studious Urara Shiraishi, who is his complete opposite in almost every wa...